p.5 #1 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
By the way, I'm waiting for the first camera that only lets you shoot in portrait format. Because of the limitations. But joking aside. Even conceptually committing to a specific format, aspect ratio, or focal length, for example, can be very beneficial. But would anyone seriously buy one or two or three additional digital cameras for that purpose (Leica Q buyers excluded)?
p.5 #3 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
Nifty Fifty wrote:
By the way, I'm waiting for the first camera that only lets you shoot in portrait format. Because of the limitations. But joking aside. Even conceptually committing to a specific format, aspect ratio, or focal length, for example, can be very beneficial. But would anyone seriously buy one or two or three additional digital cameras for that purpose (Leica Q buyers excluded)?
However, with this camera, just like any other camera, you can shoot in both portrait and landscape format. So, the choice is yours; it's up to you to decide. A real limitation could be achieved with a position sensor that only allows the shutter to be released when the camera is held horizontally or vertically, depending on the model you choose. ;-)
p.5 #5 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
Nifty Fifty wrote:
A real limitation could be achieved with a position sensor that only allows the shutter to be released when the camera is held horizontally or vertically, depending on the model you choose. ;-)
The answer then would be the Rolleiflex 2.8F. It only shoots with a 80mm focal length, and always in the same orientation. :-)
p.5 #6 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
I've been on this forum for a while now, and I'm often impressed and astounded by the level and breadth of knowledge here, especially technical details.
Unfortunately, I haven't seen much of that in this thread.
I would urge anyone interested in this type of workflow to try it out before planting your flag.
That's always the best way to know for sure.
A monochrome digital camera ticks all the boxes for me, and I love working this way.
I can only recommend it because I've been doing it for a while.
p.5 #7 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
old-gregg wrote:
The answer then would be the Rolleiflex 2.8F. It only shoots with a 80mm focal length, and always in the same orientation. :-)
Until two years ago, I shot exclusively with a 500c/m or sometimes with a 3.5F. If I could go back to the beginning with my current experience, I would actually choose a 2.8F as my only camera, because I can easily do without both interchangeable lenses and magazines. And I really think the Rolleiflex F models are absolutely brilliant. Incidentally, the selenium light meter on my over 50-year-old 3.5F still shows exactly the same values as my Profisix and Digisix.
p.5 #9 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
ATPphoto wrote:
I've been on this forum for a while now, and I'm often impressed and astounded by the level and breadth of knowledge here, especially technical details.
Unfortunately, I haven't seen much of that in this thread.
I would urge anyone interested in this type of workflow to try it out before planting your flag.
That's always the best way to know for sure.
A monochrome digital camera ticks all the boxes for me, and I love working this way.
I can only recommend it because I've been doing it for a while.
That's perfectly fine, and I can absolutely understand it. What I don't understand is the attempt to rationalize the whole thing. If you buy something because you like it, you enjoy the work involved and the results, then I'm always in favor of that, because nothing replaces joy and it doesn't need to be justified. So nothing I've written here is directed against you.
p.5 #10 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
gdanmitchell wrote:
Keeping it classy, I see… ;-
When you have nothing left but name calling and ad hominem, you’ve lost the argument.
I don’t know “everything,” but I do know some things. One of them is black and white photography, both from the film era when I developed and printed and for the last three decades when I made monochrome (and color) photographs using digital tools — cameras, post-processing software, and printers.
Right. Come into a thread where the OP asked for opinions from a specific user set of which you are not part, nor do you have any relevant experience, offer insults veiled as opinion, use supposition to group most users into what you want them to be to support your own conclusions, and then play the victim when someone calls you out.
Here's the thing, Dan. We're not in an argument. I'd have to care what you think on this subject for it to be an argument, and I don't. I was simply calling out the behavior for what it is. So blow on, blowhard. It's what you do.
p.5 #12 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
It does seem like at least a few people enjoy monochrom cameras. I am hoping for a q3 monchrom, not wanting to buy the 4 year old q2.
The m11m is mega expensive and manual, which I am not a fan of myself at the moment. Pentak is an option but i do not like dslr style bodies. I am not convinced that a monochrom converted sony offers what I am looking for.
I will be back in the states for a few weeks in seotember before heading out again, and if no q3m is announced, might just go for one of those 3 while i await the q3m. I'll report back my thoughts to add to the list after I've gathered experience.
p.5 #13 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
shadow9d9 wrote:
It does seem like at least a few people enjoy monochrom cameras. I am hoping for a q3 monchrom, not wanting to buy the 4 year old q2.
The m11m is mega expensive and manual, which I am not a fan of myself at the moment. Pentak is an option but i do not like dslr style bodies. I am not convinced that a monochrom converted sony offers what I am looking for.
I will be back in the states for a few weeks in seotember before heading out again, and if no q3m is announced, might just go for one of those 3 while i await the q3m. I'll report back my thoughts to add to the list after I've gathered experience....Show more →
I heard somewhere that there's unlikely to be a Q3 mono because Sony doesn't offer a 61MP monochrome sensor that would enable AF, and there's no indication that this will change anytime soon. I don't know anything about this myself and am only mentioning it so you know what to google, for example, in the Leica User Forum.
p.5 #14 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
Nifty Fifty wrote:
I heard somewhere that there's unlikely to be a Q3 mono because Sony doesn't offer a 61MP monochrome sensor that would enable AF, and there's no indication that this will change anytime soon. I don't know anything about this myself and am only mentioning it so you know what to google, for example, in the Leica User Forum.
It is also my understanding that you can only have contrast detect AF with a monochrome sensor so really limiting any advances to continuous AF etc leaving the only real upgrade to being a tilting screen. I have been and on and off professional photographer for 40 years or so and have to say I really enjoy using my Q2 monchrom as apart from the files it gives me a shooting experience that no other digital camera does. each to his own
Aug 17, 2025 at 12:51 PM
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p.5 #15 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
Nifty Fifty wrote:
I heard somewhere that there's unlikely to be a Q3 mono because Sony doesn't offer a 61MP monochrome sensor that would enable AF, and there's no indication that this will change anytime soon. I don't know anything about this myself and am only mentioning it so you know what to google, for example, in the Leica User Forum.
I don't see why they couldn't offer their 61MP sensor in monochrome with AF. Related to the theme of this thread, you can certainly convert a Sony camera with this sensor to monochrome and I believe you can still use it with AF, so I don't see why Sony couldn't built it that way. They would just need to leave off the color filter array which I don't think plays any role in AF or so it seems to me, but maybe I am missing something.
p.5 #16 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
Steve Spencer wrote:
I don't see why they couldn't offer their 61MP sensor in monochrome with AF. Related to the theme of this thread, you can certainly convert a Sony camera with this sensor to monochrome and I believe you can still use it with AF, so I don't see why Sony couldn't built it that way. They would just need to leave off the color filter array which I don't think plays any role in AF or so it seems to me, but maybe I am missing something.
I've seen this question before and I've also heard many replies from people who work with, for, or along some of the big camera brands, including Sony.
The answer is always economics.
Though many profess to wanting a monochrome camera, most will balk when it comes to market.
I've experienced that myself in designing tripods for a specific subset of photographers that wanted such-and-such features in a tripod. They all ran when the tripod came out and I was stuck with 20 very unusual and hard-to-sell tripods.
Anyway, I also read on one of the conversion service sites that it would cost too much to switch sensor production from the usual type to monochrome.
Economies of scale, and so forth.
If you're interested, it's worth digging through the internet to find these answers.
Some are probably from know-nothings, but some are definitely legit.
p.5 #17 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
Nifty Fifty wrote:
That's perfectly fine, and I can absolutely understand it. What I don't understand is the attempt to rationalize the whole thing. If you buy something because you like it, you enjoy the work involved and the results, then I'm always in favor of that, because nothing replaces joy and it doesn't need to be justified. So nothing I've written here is directed against you.
Not rationalizing, at least to my knowledge.
Someone asked what I like about shooting with a monochrome-converted camera.
I gave my thoughts.
What surprised me is that many others also had thoughts about it, but they hadn't used such a camera before.
p.5 #18 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
Steve Spencer wrote:
I don't see why they couldn't offer their 61MP sensor in monochrome with AF. Related to the theme of this thread, you can certainly convert a Sony camera with this sensor to monochrome and I believe you can still use it with AF, so I don't see why Sony couldn't built it that way. They would just need to leave off the color filter array which I don't think plays any role in AF or so it seems to me, but maybe I am missing something.
It probably has something to do with the fact that the Q3's AF is based on phase detectors, and so far, these only work with color sensors. But as I said, I just wanted to point out that the discussion about whether a Q3 Mono will be released has been going on for a long time, and always ends with this explanation. I just wanted to point it out; I'm not really interested in it myself.
Aug 17, 2025 at 01:54 PM
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p.5 #19 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
Nifty Fifty wrote:
It probably has something to do with the fact that the Q3's AF is based on phase detectors, and so far, these only work with color sensors. But as I said, I just wanted to point out that the discussion about whether a Q3 Mono will be released has been going on for a long time, and always ends with this explanation. I just wanted to point it out; I'm not really interested in it myself.
I was just pointing out that this argument doesn't make sense to me. Why would removing the color filter array prevent these sensors from working? As far as I know phase detect still works on Sony cameras when they are converted to monochrome. If these converted Sony cameras have phase detect AF, then phase detect sensors cannot be the reason the sensor is not made.
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p.5 #20 · Your experience having a Sony camera converted to Monochrome?
ATPphoto wrote:
I've seen this question before and I've also heard many replies from people who work with, for, or along some of the big camera brands, including Sony.
The answer is always economics.
Though many profess to wanting a monochrome camera, most will balk when it comes to market.
I've experienced that myself in designing tripods for a specific subset of photographers that wanted such-and-such features in a tripod. They all ran when the tripod came out and I was stuck with 20 very unusual and hard-to-sell tripods.
Anyway, I also read on one of the conversion service sites that it would cost too much to switch sensor production from the usual type to monochrome.
Economies of scale, and so forth.
If you're interested, it's worth digging through the internet to find these answers.
Some are probably from know-nothings, but some are definitely legit....Show more →
Well, I do not see why the economics would be any different for the Q3 than the Q2. Remember we are talking about a Leica camera that costs over $7,000, so the sensor can be pretty expensive and they can still have good margins.
But joking aside. Even conceptually committing to a specific format, aspect ratio, or focal length, for example, can be very beneficial. But would anyone seriously buy one or two or three additional digital cameras for that purpose (Leica Q buyers excluded)?